Ilove the idea of living in a converted barn or factory. High ceilings, historical architecture, open spaces with that "loft" feel. Because of that, I'm a sucker for books on the subject. I haven't found many out there, but I did come across one that's pretty cool. Recycled Spaces has a lot of ideas and (best) a lot of colorful photographs from agricultural, commercial, and industrial buildings that have been completely renovated and turned into people's dream homes. This isn't a book of blueprints, and it won't give you the nitty-gritty details of how much things cost, but it's a great starting point if you're looking for ideas. There are some floor plans of homes that have been converted (examples include a 17th century barn and a 100+ year old terra cotta factory in New Jersey), too. Aside from giving ideas on what kinds of buildings you convert, the book contains some information on floorings, windows, walls, and roofs and ceilings (the kind of thing that's going to be different in a conversion than it would be in a straight-up stick-built house).
Overall, a nice book. I usually just recommend people check things out from the library, but this has enough cool pictures to make it a fun coffee table book. Here's the link to Amazon if you're interested: Recycled Spaces: Converting Buildings into Homes
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